Mmmm. I'm cozied-in up in the Great White North,
illuminated in a glow of ultra-white from the
persistent snow outdoors reflecting diffuse sunlight in
through the windows of my winter retreat. I think it is
warmer today, but I am not sure because I haven't been
outdoors yet and I am sitting on the couch adorned with
the electric blanket and my woolen slippers and leg
warmers are doing their jobs well.

It's morning and school is in session so there is no
sound of kids gleefully bombing the toboggan hill they
constructed on the weekend just outside my porch door.
If I were a daring sort, I might envision taking a
flying leap right off my second floor balcony onto the
top of the run. But that's a pretty good gap. Maybe off
the roof then, but the pitch is at the wrong angle. Ah
well.

At long last I have posted a selection of photographs
from the summer of 2009 and
the activities enjoyed: camping, fishing, hiking,
foraging and cooking up meals on campfires!
Despite a long campfire ban, almost every weekend
through the summer was spent on the camp. The heat
was hard to beat, but by seeking out the coolest
nearby temperatures and then finding a
high-altitude lake at that location, preferably
4x4 required for access (to reduce incidence of
camping near other people), it was possible to
stay somewhat comfortable through the hot summer.
There were a few days out there though that pushed
my limits.

I wonder where is the most sun, the least
precipitation, and the coolest weather. It would be
some kind of desert I would imagine? So maybe not the
least precipitation and the most sun, but how about the
coolest temps mixed with about 30 days of rain a year,
and no more than 15 days a year over 80F? That would be
ideal. Avg temp around 70 with partial sun and no
chance of flooding.. that would be nice.

In any case, these pictures, reflect but a tiny
percentage of all that was experienced and enjoyed
these last months. Regrettably, both my aging digital
cameras have developed lens flaws and I get frustrated
by the dark spots in my pics, so I stopped taking
photographs almost entirely for awhile now. I would
like to get a new camera, but that will be a process
and I've just had other things on my plate.

I'm so grateful for the opportunities and time I have
had to explore the planet and get to know the earth in
a new way, to develop a personal language with nature
and a growing understanding of it from my own visceral
experiences.

Breathing in the clean air of the remote, less
inhabited areas nourishes and supports me. The peace
and the quiet are like the finest velvet blankets that
surround and warm me. Mental elevation has unobstructed
passage, a manna of bliss, fast track to openness.
Aural, and visual disturbances of the urban environment
demand a body protect itself from the jarring
vibrations, create defensiveness and a closed attitude.
I would like to remain open. This challenges me.

May your goals be close enough to be attainable and yet
far enough away to transform you.

The earth here in British Columbia is warming and I am
longing for Chiapas, for Mexico, and for the
rainstorms. The opportunities of the next few months
will keep me more static than the adventures of the
last years. I have an apartment in a town now, having
left the rustic cabin behind in lieu of things like
electricity, running water, and internet access.

My nature is to nest, spending hours and hours
decorating this new apartment into my style and tastes.
But if, after a year here, I have successfully
decorated this apartment, but I haven't finished my
music project, or learned more with an instrument, or
written copiously, I will be very disappointed indeed.

I am looking for an owner's manual for a 1997 Jeep
Cherokee Sport 4x4 with 4.0L inline 6 cyl engine. If
you have one for sale or free, please send me an
email with your
information and we'll make a deal. I have a
Haynes Toyota
4Runner Repair Manual that could make a nice
trade if you like to barter.

Ego props up assumptions, creates a model with which to
test boundaries of existence.

Ego smoothes a chaotic universe by recognizing patterns
and defining them as rules. Consistency is soothing.
The universe and all of creation is chaos. Ego filters
the chaos for conforming information. This is
'perspective'.

Ego, Judgment, and Prejudice are the tools that reduce
stimulus, information, and memory, such that this
mortal brain 'can make sense of it all.'

One of the most wonderful things about San Cristobal de
las Casas is the amazing rainstorms we get here in the
afternoons. One day, I set up my camera in a few
different windows in the house to try to illustrate the
power and majesty of the rain here. I hope you enjoy
the movies.

Please enjoy photographs from the April-May 2008 Road Trip
from Portland, Oregon to Montgomery, Texas and
back. The trip down took us from Oregon into
California and then down through Nevada, Arizona,
New Mexico, and into Texas. The return trip
included driving through Oklahoma, Kansas,
Colorado, Idaho, and back to Oregon (and then,
eventually, Seattle again.)

There was both snow and sweltering heat along the way.

Water bottles froze overnight in the tent at the Grand
Canyon.

West Texas is absolutely beautiful. The Davis Mountains
are rather unbelievably cool.

Spent a wonderful time with my family in Montgomery.

Tasted of the sulphur springs of Oklahoma.

We lost the tent in the return trip, too, in a
pre-tornado storm that swept through Kansas on the
night of April 30th. Within 15 minutes of having the
tent set up and staked down, Shawn would be laying on
top of the shattered shelter to keep it from being
whisked away entirely. We spent some time in the
howling wind trying to decide how to move the tent to a
better spot before finally aborting and heading for a
motel. We would later discover that every pole in the
tent was in bits, with major rips in the seams of the
tent, as well as the guy lines still being in the
ground where they where originally staked (along with
the canvas tabs that used to be attached to the tent.)
Ah well.

After a shy two weeks in Mexico, I am feeling settled
into something of a routine and feeling comfortable
with my surroundings. I have rented a scooter to get
around town, and I can get to several places without
using the map. My spanish is improving daily. I'm
drinking coffee again because it is darn good here.

A back of the napkin, spontaneous poem from my first
attempt of going out alone, all dolled up, on a
Saturday night in San Cristobal:

Still, a loud bar is a lonely place
whether there are others here, or not.
I'll one two.
I'll three four.
I'll lead this music with my four on the floor.
I'll take you on
one eye behind my back.

I didn't have a great time. Although I was really
impressed with the DJs early set, as it got further
into the night it got more typical "discoteque" and
less interesting to me. But, the dude was spinning
vinyl and that rocked me. I haven't seen anyone
spinning vinyl in awhile. Maybe vinyl is still cheaper
in Mexico than setting up an all e-rig. Ho hum.

As of August 12, 2008 at 3pm Central Time, I will be in
Mexico and en route to San Cristobal de las Casas. If
you'd like to be in touch while I'm Mexico, please
use my cell number to actually call me, and do
not send me text messages.

Yes, this is total reversal of what I have told you
about me and my phone. I am fully cognizant of the
impact this will have on your psyche. Breathe deeply.
Hold my hand.

Email is also be a fine option for contact. I expect to
have internet access during this time.

You are permitted to utilize the contact form here on this
website. You are welcome.